Echoes from Salem

by Janice Cooper

Introduction · Opening Occasion · Abstraction · Second Reflection · Universal · Conclusion · Rubric · Guide

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Introduction

Historical fact, historical fiction . . . where do we draw the line between them?
Do the victors write history?
Is the pen mightier than the sword?
Is information power?
Is truth stranger than fiction?
Which truth?
Whose truth?
What truth?

These are the kinds of questions that ask people to look beneath the surface of everyday thinking. This kind of deeper thinking is called reflecting, or introspection. The purpose of the following activity is to get you to reflect on the topic of the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria and Trials as a compelling, essential moment in human history. It is a moment we return to again and again to discover new truths about ourselves.

But, instead of just asking you to begin reflecting, we've found that the Internet has intriguing ways to 'bring you into' the subject.

You'll use the Web site to get your mind wrapped around the topic. Then you'll be given hints and ideas to help you extend your reflection.

If you want an idea of how the quality of reflection can be assessed, read this evaluation rubric. But most of all, follow the twists and turns of your thinking.

The Opening Occasion

Current events often cause us to stop and reflect on pivotal moments in the past. Sometimes this is in the form of a moving image or powerful statement. Sometimes the past helps us interpret our present; sometimes our present allows us to re-interpret the past.

Use examples from the Web to explore two very different perspectives on the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria and Trials. Choose one, listening for something that calls to you personally. When you hear it, write a solid paragraph that describes the scene, example, information, image, or whatever related to the topic that was most powerful to you.

Salem Witch Trials: The World Behind the Hysteria

Salem Witch Trials as Fact and Symbol

Highlighting the Abstraction

Listening more carefully to the description you just wrote, find the abstract or underlying idea that is at the center of your reflection. In other words, what Big Idea, or Truth are you really writing about. Examples include things like 'story,' 'history,' 'truth,' 'lies,' 'evidence,' 'interpretation,' 'meaning,' and 'reality.'

Write a short paragraph that explains and highlights an abstraction or idea you want to draw out of your opening occasion.

The Second Reflection

Not everything is as we first think. Changing the perspective, listening to a different voice from the past, shifts the facts and changes the pattern of the past. Listening to an emotional appeal shifts the pattern yet again.

Try listening to an emotional version of the abstraction you've been reflecting on. Once you can hear how this topic can be whispered, shouted, or discussed differently, write another healthy paragraph that explores this different 'Truth.'

Salem Witchcraft Hysteria

Finding a Universal Truth

You began by describing your response to an interpretation of the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria and went on to pull out an abstract idea to focus on. Further reflection showed how emotional truths can sound different from factual ones. Can one be more 'real' than the other? Is one correct? How does the past inform the present? How does the present interpret the past?

Or, is it more finite?

In 'Ash Wednesday,' the poet, T. S. Eliot wrote,
' . . . time is always time
And place is always and only place
And what is actual is actual only for one time
And only for one place'1

Now comes the time to look at the big picture and share what you believe is a universal or underlying Truth, one that is most always true. Keep the deep thinking going and avoid the temptation to come up with a quick and easy answer. They are hardly ever accurate and don't reflect you.

How and why do people interpret, misinterpret, or change facts to suit their needs? . . . in 1692? . . . in 1953? . . . in 1996? . . . Today?

Write out your ideas in a short paragraph.

Conclusion

At the beginning of this activity, you were invited to look at an evaluation rubric and told to follow the twists and turns of your thinking. You've done this by looking closely at an important aspect of the human experience.

But reflection works best when the writer also looks at his or her own thought processes. We're not so interested in the 'answer' you came up with as seeing how your mind worked through the process.

In the final paragraph, tell us the highlights of what went on in your mind that guided your reflection.

Was the question answerable?
Was the question itself the answer?
At what points did the lights go on?
When did it seem confusing?
What led you to speak in your final voice?

Give this essay a title:
Your name:

created by Janice Cooper email: cooper_j@nvnet.org ; jj71688@optonline.net http://web-and-flow.com/members/jcooper/swt2/reflector.htm